U.S. Sen. Kerry Delivers 2009 Commencement Address
UMass Boston Graduates 3,065; Joe Kennedy, Edwin Moses among Honorees
(Boston, May 29, 2009) – U.S. Senator John Kerry today delivered the principal address to 3,065 graduates at the University of Massachusetts Boston’s 41st commencement ceremonies. Kerry, a decorated war veteran who has represented Massachusetts for 25 years in the U.S. Senate, was joined by UMass Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley and honorary degree recipients Joseph Kennedy, former U.S. Representative and founder of Citizens Energy; Sister Margaret Leonard, founder of Project Hope; and Edwin Moses, former Olympian, champion of drug-free athletics, and motivational speaker.
“You, the members of the class of 2009, are the living proof that we are fulfilling our mission,” said Chancellor Motley. “UMass Boston was founded on principles of academic excellence and opportunity. Fifty-nine percent of our undergraduates are first-generation college students. You join the ranks of nearly 85,000 alumni, whose many accomplishments reflect the true quality of a University of Massachusetts Boston education.”
Kerry served two tours of duty in Vietnam, where he was decorated with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. When he came home, he began a lifelong fight for his fellow veterans – joining with others to found the Vietnam Veterans of America to advocate for veterans’ benefits, extension of the G.I. Bill for Higher Education, and treatment of PTSD. In 1984, Kerry was elected senator from Massachusetts and since then has distinguished himself as one of our nation's most respected voices on national security and international affairs. He has been a leading voice on American policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, the war on terrorism, the Middle East peace process, and Israel's security, and he currently serves as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“The research happening at UMass Boston and the knowledge students take with them when they leave here will benefit our state, our region, and our nation for years to come and will drive our economy for decades,” Kerry said. “The graduating class of 2009 – diverse in every conceivable way – represents our state’s future in large measure thanks to the world-class education they received at UMass Boston. It will be their intelligence, their dedication, and their ingenuity that will help their generation lead our country in a more complicated, more interconnected world than the one my generation inherited.”
Former U. S. representative and founder of Citizens Energy Joe Kennedy was presented with the degree doctor of laws, honoris causa, for his leadership and service to the community. Kennedy, who is a UMass Boston alumnus and represented the Eighth Congressional District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House for 12 years, devised creative and innovative approaches to helping communities achieve economic growth and prosperity by tapping into the private sector. In 1988, he founded Citizens Energy Corporation, which has been helping to heat the homes of the elderly and the poor for the past 20 years. Last year, Citizens Energy’s Oil Heat Program aided about 200,000 households, 2,500 participating dealers, 325 shelters, and 223 Native American tribal communities.
Sister Margaret Leonard will be presented with the degree of doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, for her considerable neighborhood development work as the leader of Project Hope since 1985. Since then, Leonard helped transform the Little Sisters of the Assumption’s convent into a vibrant multi-service center offering homelessness prevention, educational and economic empowerment programs serving Boston’s Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods. A catalyst in forging strategic alliances, partnerships, and collaborations at local, city, and state levels to support low-income families in moving from crisis to stability, Leonard is the former co-chair of the City of Boston’s Homeless Planning Committee and cofounded two innovative and highly effective organizations: Homes for Families, a statewide advocacy organization, and One Family Scholars, an organization that provides college scholarships to formerly homeless and low-income mothers.
Edwin Moses will receive the degree of doctor of science, honoris causa, for his outstanding contributions as a two-time Olympic gold medalist, champion of drug-free athletics, motivational speaker and chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, an organization that promotes sporting activities for youth worldwide for the purpose of social change. Moses developed and advocated for the Athletes’ Trust Fund to help support amateur athletes. His philanthropic involvement includes the Hughes Spaulding Children’s Medical Center, the College Fund, Special Olympics, UNICEF, 100 Black Men of America, and the Inner-City Games. A financial consultant with the Salomon Smith Barney Group, Moses is also a professional motivational speaker. He shares the stories of his academic and athletic triumphs as incentives to achieving excellence.
About UMass Boston
With a growing reputation for innovative research addressing complex urban issues, the University of Massachusetts Boston, metropolitan Boston’s only public university, offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston’s seven colleges and graduate schools serve more than 14,000 students while engaging local, national, and international constituents through academic programs, research centers, and public service activities. To learn more about UMass Boston, visit www.umb.edu.